First Major NASA Wind Tunnel in 40 Years Opens in Virginia
Ribbon-Cutting at Langley Marks New Testing Era for Aircraft and Spacecraft Bound for the Moon and Mars
NASA opened its first major new wind tunnel in more than 40 years Friday at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
“The Flight Dynamics Research Facility is NASA’s first major new wind tunnel in more than 40 years and gives us a powerful new platform to test the ideas and technologies that will shape the future of aviation and exploration.”
Jarad Isaacman, NASA
The facility, called the Flight Dynamics Research Facility, will test the safety and performance of aircraft, rockets and space exploration vehicles for NASA and its partners in government, industry and academia. It replaces two of Langley’s oldest wind tunnels, the 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel and the 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel, combining their capabilities into a single 25,000-square-foot building.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst, Langley center director Dr. Trina Dyal and Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala F. Hashmi joined Rep. Robert “Bobby” Scott, D-Va., and Hampton Mayor Jimmy Gray at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“The Flight Dynamics Research Facility is NASA’s first major new wind tunnel in more than 40 years and gives us a powerful new platform to test the ideas and technologies that will shape the future of aviation and exploration,” Isaacman said. “America has led in air and space because we were willing to take on hard problems, challenge assumptions and build what didn’t exist before.”
The facility’s test chamber measures 20 feet in diameter, larger than either of its predecessors, allowing researchers to use bigger, more detailed scale models and improving data accuracy. Its top airspeed of 117 miles per hour is twice that of the old tunnels, enabling free-flight tests of heavier models at conditions closer to full-scale flight. Four 750-horsepower motors, each turning a 14-foot diameter, eight-bladed carbon fiber fan, supply the airflow.
Built through a partnership between NASA and the U.S. General Services Administration, the facility is the fourth new building GSA has delivered to NASA under Langley’s 20-year campus revitalization plan.
“By bringing modernized testing capabilities under one roof, we are enabling transformative research that will ensure the United States remains at the forefront of aeronautics and exploration,” Dyal said.
Researchers will use the tunnel to study autonomous flight vehicles, drones, commercial and military aircraft and experimental X-planes. NASA also plans to use it to test vehicle designs for entry, descent and landing as the agency works toward a sustained human presence on the moon under the Artemis program, as well as aircraft designs for Mars and other destinations where atmospheric flight is possible.
“GSA is proud to partner with NASA in delivering the Flight Dynamics Research Facility, a state-of-the-art asset that will power the next generation of American dominance in aeronautics and space exploration,” Forst said. “This facility reflects what we do best: provide the advanced, expertly designed installations that federal agencies need to carry out their missions.”
The facility is managed under the Aerosciences Evaluation and Test Capabilities portfolio in the Aeronautics Division of NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate.